Today’s post is another time-saver function I wrote to connect to SCCM. Again, it is designed to eliminate the need to hard code the module path and/or the SCCM primary site. It allows me to just type Connect-SCCM to import the module then enter to the SCCM PSdrive.

Like my MDT function this one locates the install path from the registry to help discover the module location. It will then detect the SCCM PS drive automagically and set the location to it.

I’ve uploaded it to the Technet script repository here and again below is the simplified version.

Todays post is a time-saver function I wrote to connect to MDT shares. It allows me to just type Connect-MDT to import the module then enter to the MDT PSdrive.

It discovers the location of the MDT module(from the registry) and uses the Restore-MDTPersistentDrive cmdlet to restore the hosts existing MDT PSDrives. It will then set the location to the first MDT PSDrive thus eliminating the need to hard code the deployment share path. Ta-daa!

I’ve uploaded it to the Technet script repository and below is the simplified version.

It doesn’t seem like 12 years since Windows XP and Office 2003 first arrived but now their time will draw closer to the end in less than 2 days. At this point Microsoft will drop Enterprise support for the products potentially making the products legacy and an increasing security risk?

What does this really mean for security? Well if I was a ‘bad guy’ I’d be waiting until the 8th April 2014 before unleashing any exploits I discovered for Windows XP and Office 2003. The reason is Microsoft will no longer engineer security patches for the products. Experts are describing this time as the malware apocalypse for Windows XP.

The fact that most UK cashpoints, Self service retail tills and NHS hospitals are still on XP is really surprising. There is a wealth of free information on the internet to help organisations make the move from XP. This kinda makes me think of my mum’s old Jamaican saying:

“Those who wont hear, must feel!”

As with Y2K, the apocalypse came and went without so much as a flutter and I was looking forward this time to observe this foretold carnage however, this time the government has stepped in to try to stay the execution. This gives the public sector security patches for a further 12 months while they migrate from XP. After then perhaps the darkness will really begin.

Big news in deployment right now. Microsoft has release a hotfix rollup is for Windows 7 SP1 and Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1. So it’s kinda like Service Pack 1 and a half. There are 4 flavours 2008R2 Itanium/x64 and Windows 7 x86/x64.

You can get it from Microsoft Update Catalog by clicking the link here.

The updates are in a format suitable for importing into the Packages folder of your MDT deployment share.

]]>https://scriptimus.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/hotfix-rollup-released-for-windows-7-sp1-and-windows-server-2008-r2-sp1/feed/9scriptimusMicrosoftUpdateCatalogMU_UpdatesMU_MDT_PackagesDeployment Terminologyhttps://scriptimus.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/deployment-terminology/
https://scriptimus.wordpress.com/2013/03/11/deployment-terminology/#commentsMon, 11 Mar 2013 04:00:10 +0000http://scriptimus.wordpress.com/?p=2117Continue reading →]]>There are a many terms used to describe the deployment of operating systems and its associated practices. Here are some of the most popular ones and an explanation of when to use them.

Deployment.
The process of applying operating system images to a computer(sometimes called build). This may also include it’s associated framework inc. drivers, patches, service packs, applications etc. The term is a general phrase that describes the process as a whole.

Windows Image Deployment (WIM Imaging).This term describes any of the methods used to apply images based on the Windows Imaging file format.

Operating System Deployment(OSD).
This term can be used literally but usually refers to the deployment of images using the OSD feature of System Center Configuration Manager.

Lite-Touch Deployment (LTI).
This describes the use of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit to apply images. This includes any such methods including PXE boot with Windows Deployment Services

User-Driven Installation (UDI).
This is Zero-Touch deployment that is initiatedby a user using the User Driven Installation feature of MDT. It could also refer to any other method of deployment where the user user initiates the build.

Imaging.
The term ‘imaging’ when appending a noun can refer to where the image is being deployed from but it’s not totally accurate terminology. eg WDS Imaging, File Share Imaging,

In this scenario, you have a computer with static IP Address assignments that you wish to maintain during a REFRESH.

There’s a Task Sequence step called Capture Network Settings. This runs the script ZTINICConfig.wsf that can capture network settings and store them in the Variables.dat file.

There are 2 switches of use here in the ZTINICConfig.wsf script. (From the manual)

/ForceCapture – If there are any local networking adapters with static IP addresses saved, this script captures those settings and saves them to the local environment—for example, C:\MININT\SMSOSD\OSDLogs\Variables.dat. This script can be useful in capturing static IP settings for a large number of computers for automation.

/RestoreWithinWinPE – When specified, applies any saved static IP network settings to the local computer, when appropriate; used for internal processing only.

In this scenario, the requirement is to boot a lite touch boot image with a static IP address, where is no DHCP available. You can use a custom answer file (unattend.xml) to configure your static IP settings at boot. Below are 2 methods

Method 1 – Netshell

Use the answer file in your extra files folder to run a command line like netsh during boot. I’ve previously explained how to use the extra files for BGInfo and the process is pretty much the same.

I’ve been working on the various methods of setting Static IP addresses during Lite Touch deployments and decided to space the articles out over the week. Today we’ll cover the easy ones.

If you boot into WinPE and find you don’t have an IP Address there are 2 quick ways to configure one. The first is to use the Welcome wizard pane. If you don’t see this pane then remove the line SkipBDDWelcome=YES from your bootstrap.ini file.

Simply click the Configure with Static IP Address button then a new pane will appear where you can enter the IP details.

You can also use netsh to set a static IP via a command prompt.

In this scenario, WINPE uses “Ethernet” as the adapter name. The command is

One of the best reasons implementing MDT 2012 is the way it manages your drivers. I had a customer who was using WDS only for deploying their Windows 7 images. They told me that the deployment would halt for around 30 minutes when applying drivers. The problem there was that every driver was being to applied to every machine during deployment. I explained to them a few ways in which MDT could help.

Small Scale

When you create a new Operating System deployment Task Sequence, the default behaviour is to Install only matching drivers from the selection profile. This will save an immense amount of time without you having to do anything.

For small deployments with up to 10 models and only 1 version of Windows these defaults will suffice and I would continue to use them.

Medium Scale

If you have multiple Operating Systems I suggest using the driver selection profiles to isolate each Operating System and Architecture(x86,AMD64).

Large Scale

For larger organisations where you have many makes and models (25+) and multiple OS versions I suggest isolating your Drivers by Operating System/Architecture and Make/Model then dynamically applying the drivers. This will isolate and ensure that only the exact drivers are downloaded in injected during your deployments.